Subterfuge
by flipomatic
Summary: It started when I received a note saying that a fledgling group called the Felt could use my assistance, and somebody in the government needed an agent with them. They didn't need me for any one job in particular; they were simply looking for new members with connections. Since I was a knight, I was the perfect candidate. Prospitian Times part 3. Rated T for minor swearing.


Author Note: I'm not as happy with this one, it doesn't even have a ship in it to make it easier to find.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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My official title was knight of Prospit, but it didn't match the job description. I didn't even report to the knight master. Mostly, I took jobs from the advisors and occasionally the throne. I would've stayed a regular knight, but there were extenuating circumstances.

I couldn't afford to let my siblings starve. Our parents passed away when Rose and Dave were still small, leading to Roxy and I supporting the family. She picked up a job in a store while I started spending more and more time working away from home.

It was mostly uneventful work; I would follow somebody around for a few weeks, retrieve hard to get information, incapacitate unwanted elements, and other things like that. I made enough money so Dave and Rose never knew how close we came to losing our parent's home.

Most of the other knights never suspected a thing; only one seemed to notice my activities. On occasion, I would find Latula Pyrope following me around. She was a strange girl; she became a knight at a young age and didn't take shit from anybody. During training, she often picked fights with those bigger than her and suffered many broken bones for her trouble. But she always got back up, and she was extremely perceptive. We sparred every once in a while, and I won every match. Even though I beat her in sparring, she was still the most capable knight in her age group.

But she always suspected I was up to no good, and she was probably right. She was actually part of the worst incident I was ever involved in.

It started when I received a note saying that a fledgling group called the Felt could use my assistance, and somebody in the government needed an agent with them. They didn't need me for any one job in particular; they were simply looking for new members with connections. Since I was a knight, I was the perfect candidate.

I originally wasn't going to accept, but when they upped their offer I couldn't refuse. Between payment from the government and my cut of the Felt's profits, I wouldn't need to take extra jobs ever again. The fact that the Felt could kill my family without breaking a sweat didn't affect my decision at all. Not one bit.

The Felt met every Tuesday night, and I attended the meetings for nearly six months. I never stuck around afterward to make friends, but I started recognizing some of the members after a while.

Crowbar was in charge of my assignments, the few that there were. Clover was a tiny guy who was a bit insecure about his height. Committing crimes helped him feel better about himself, and the oversized sabre he carried didn't hurt. Matchsticks was the local pyromaniac, and we always kept a bucket of water ready just in case he got a little excited. Cans was the largest member, standing at more than two meters tall and weighed at least 130 kilograms. Snowman was the only female in the group, but was certainly the strongest and most capable. She was the only member I never shared a single conversation with.

It wasn't a bad gig; they didn't ask me to participate in any serious crime rings, not for a while anyway.

I started saving money to put Rose and Dave through school and knight training.

The shit didn't hit the fan until one meeting when a new face showed up. I recognized his mug, he was a fellow knight and an advisor to the throne; Sir Scratch. I never expected to see him in the underworld, and it was the first piece of major information I had to report back to the crown. My employer would want to know about the spy in their midst.

The moment he said he was hiring the entire group for a mission, my heart sank into my stomach. Crowbar agreed to the job before we even could hear the description, and he and Sir Scratch left the group to discuss it. Snowman went with them, probably for safety in numbers.

I wouldn't end up knowing the entire plan, only my part in it.

They told me I needed to stand guard in one of the wings of the castle and let them know if any other knights entered or exited. This wouldn't be a problem since I could blend in easily. Even if somebody saw me, they wouldn't think anything of my presence.

I only stood guard for 20 minutes, and I didn't see any other knights during that time. The Felt passed me on their way out, saying I should stay where I was for another half hour as to not be suspicious. Cans had an odd extra sack swung over one shoulder, though I didn't think anything of it at the time.

A couple minutes after they left, Latula came barreling down the hall. Her cheeks were flushed and her breath was short; as if she had been running all over the castle. I raised one eyebrow at her as she stopped in front of me, keeping the rest of my expression impassive.

"Did you see them?" The question came quickly as she whipped her head back and forth.

"Who?" I crossed my arms.

"The Felt!" she kept one hand on her sword hilt the entire time. "They kidnapped princess Feferi, and they would've had to pass through here to do so." She growled under her breath, clearly frustrated with the situation.

I couldn't react, I could barely breath. They kidnapped the princess. **_They kidnapped the princess!_** Shit. This was all my fault.

In one evening I proved every suspicion she ever had about me right. Good job fucking that one up Strider.

"They went that way." I pointed off in the direction they vanished in, and Latula nodded once.

"Thanks." She ran off in that direction before I could stop her.

"Wait," I called after her, but she ignored me, disappearing around the corner.

I followed after her; this was my mess to fix and I couldn't let my juniors take the responsibility. The Felt were probably still in the castle, so there was still time to catch them. As we traveled across the castle, I made sure to keep her in sight; there was no doubt in my mind that the Felt would kill her if she found them by herself.

After a few minutes, Latula ran into the Felt. She charged them rashly, drawing her sword immediately as she tried to fight them all at once. At the sight of a knight, nearly the entire group fled except for Crowbar, Itchy, and Biscuits. Crowbar wielded a small knife against a fully armed knight, and somehow managed to land a few blows on her. Against all three of them, there wasn't much Latula could do. Her right arm suffered a damaging blow, and I stepped in before the three could finish her off. They fled as I stepped out of the shadows; probably to hide our connection.

Latula glared at me as if to say that she didn't need my help before stumbling away from the scene. I knew where she would go; she only had two friends, after all.

Aranea let me in without a fuss, though I did feel a twinge of pity for the girl. She wasn't even involved with this mess, and it was about to ruin her life. Meenah showed up not too long after I did, and right before I left the air practically crackled with tension.

After Meenah sent me away, I gathered enough supplies to last three people a week away from the city. I made sure to prepare Latula's horse and one nobody would miss for travel along with Meenah's; she certainly wasn't going to leave the pair of them behind.

I was right, and I barely kept my composure as I bid all three farewell. Latula looked back once, casting one last wistful glance around her previous home.

After they were out of sight, I knew I had to report back to the Felt. They would be expecting me, and I couldn't afford to disappoint them and get kicked out of the group now.

I slunk out of the castle without attracting any attention. The alarm hadn't been sounded yet; and I wasn't going to set it off.

The Felt's base was only about ten minutes from the castle. When I arrived, Die was guarding the door, and he tipped his hat to me as I passed.

Sir Scratch was waiting with the rest of the group inside. He was doling out the cash, and most of the Felt were getting ready to retire for the evening. Cans stood by the same sack he had before, and I assumed the princess was still inside.

"Ah, Dirk Strider." Sir Scratch turned to me, a smug grin decorating his visage. "I havn't forgotten your portion of course." He extended a small wad of cash towards me, and I stuffed it in one pocket. It would burn well in the fireplace later that evening.

"I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with this," I grumbled, adjusting the sword on my belt.

"To get rid of the heiress of course." If it was possible, his expression grew more smug.

"What!" I tried to keep the surprise out of my voice; it didn't work. "Well, I suppose you succeeded. I spotted her fleeing the castle right before I left."

"Excellent." Scratch gestured at Cans. "You should take her back then."

"Why?" Cans huffed, puffing out his chest. "We could ransom her for tons of cash or something."

"No." Scratch cut him off, eyes narrowed. "You will return her tonight."

Cans stepped closer to Scratch, his fists clenched. "What if I don't want to?"

"You heard the guy," Crowbar intervened, placing one hand on Cans chest. "Take her back. Do it now, before anybody notices she's gone."

Cans grabbed the sack and stormed off, presumably to do as he was told. The floor shook slightly with his thundering steps.

The dismissed me not long after, and I went home to write up a report about the incident. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be submitting this one. The member of the imperial court who had me watching the Felt had just fled from the city. Also, Sir Scratch was too well trusted by the Queen for me to depose him now; especially after the way he spun this event to her.

The whole incident was covered up. Meenah was passed off as a rebellious teenager, with her two friends being lumped in the same category. Feferi's guard was killed by the Felt, but Scratch took the claim for saving her. Her only living guard wasn't in well enough condition to testify otherwise.

I vowed to keep watching the Felt and Sir Scratch, just in case Meenah ever returned.

A week after they vanished, I received a note that simply said 'Lofaf'. That must have been the town they settled in, though it was awfully close to the capital. I didn't respond to the message; it wasn't worth the risk.

A few years later, when the Queen passed away, I had my chance. Dave had just returned from his first mission, which just happened to be at Lofaf. He met Meenah and Aranea while he was there, so I knew I could trust him to deliver a message to them.

I wrote them a note, and all it said was 'It's time'.

**Continued in Knight Master**

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End Note: Thanks for reading. I know this might sound familiar, but if you're interested in reading the other parts of this series, make sure to check out the community 'Prospitian Times'.


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